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Titleist TS Hybrids: Score from everywhere!
What happens when you take the most played hybrids on tour and make them better?
You get the TS hybrids from Titleist.
Born from the same Titleist Speed project as the TS metal woods (which have won multiple equipment counts on the PGA Tour this year), the all-new Titleist TS hybrids bring more forgiveness and speed to two distinct designs: the TS2 and TS3.
Hybrids are a unique animal: They’ve been around for a long time yet and some people still refuse to give them a shot (Titleist has you covered with the U500 series U500 Series). Some people look at them as more accurate versions of fairway woods, while others think long-iron replacement. Regardless of how you view them, you’re right! They fill a spot in your bag for a specific yardage, and like any club, they are designed to maximize performance.
Most fitters would say hybrids are more a part of an iron set than woods although they share a lot of the same technology. Instead of trying to maximize “distance,” the role of a hybrid is more similar to that of a wedge—a scoring club, and that’s how Titleist believes you should look at them too. Proximity to hole is one of the most important parts of the game to shoot lower scores—strokes gained statistics prove that. Regardless of the club you are hitting, if you hit it closer and stop it sooner, you’ll see lower numbers on your scorecard. That’s what the TS hybrids are designed for.
Titleist Speed technology to score
Stephanie Luttrell, Director of Metal woods Development, Titleist Golf Club R&D
“By taking everything we learned in developing TS drivers and fairways and implementing those technologies into our hybrid platform, we’ve been able to improve our speed and distance performance while maintaining the incredible playability that makes these hybrids scoring clubs – that easy, consistent distance that launches high and lands soft, closer to the hole.”
The first thing many will notice about both of the new models is no more ARC (Active Recoil Channel) in the sole. Why? because they don’t need it anymore, or as Principal Development Engineer Tom Bennett said: “We engineered it obsolete!”
Speed comes from the face, and the faces of both the TS2 and TS3 hybrids are 16 percent thinner than previous 818 models. That 16 percent reduction in thickness means a substantial reduction in weight and greater flex across more area—the end result is more consistent ball speed across the face.
As I have said many times, golf club engineers work within a tight structure for the mass of each club, depending on what they are designing, a few grams here or there can mean the difference between compromising on something to create desired results and not having to compromise at all. By utilizing the latest technologies and materials there is no compromising—just optimizing.
The Speed Chassis helps save weight all over the club including the crown. This, in turn, allows for a lower COG and better mass positioning—end result being a 10 percent bump in MOI, higher launch, and lower spin. Lower spin might not seem like something you would want from a hybrid, BUT let me explain: ball speed equals lift and spin. Lift is good because it means a ball will elevate quickly (something you’re gonna want from a longer shot) but when spin gets too high, you can lose directional control in either windy conditions or on mishits. By creating the opportunity for players to launch it higher with less spin and more speed you create conditions for a more desirable and controllable trajectory. Control is a very good thing!
The Titleist TS2 hybrid
The TS2 was born from the idea of taking a well loved shape ( we’ll get to that shape in a bit ) and creating a hybrid for players that prefer the rounded larger shape of a metal wood. The TS2 hits the perfect balance between maximizing forgiveness and still offering complete playability for players with a more sweeping / shallow delivery into the ball. It has a lower further back COG to create higher launch conditions for those who need it.
So about shape. The TS2 might remind you of a club you have seen before: the 910H—well it’s no coincidence. When I pointed out this similarity to Tom Bennett, he had a great explanation. To paraphrase “hybrids are clubs people don’t switch too often, once a player has a good one and knows how it plays, it’s hard to replace it. Using extensive player feedback and looking at what older models people were bringing to TPI (Titleist Performance Institute), the 910 kept popping up as a favorite. When players prefer a shape it’s our responsibility as designers to refine it, make it better and pack as much technology and performance as possible. That’s how we created the TS2.”
The refinements are easy to spot: a much sleeker sole for better turf interaction, pleasing pear shape, and a sloped crown all improve performance—and that’s just on the outside. Plus, we can’t forget the tour-proven SureFit hosel to dial in exact lofts and yardages. With everything we already talked about going on inside the TS2, these are going to be big winners for a lot of players.
The Titleist TS3 hybrid
The TS3 is a different story. Designed to maximize speed and workability for players that hit more down on the ball, the shape is shorter front to back, taller in face height, and it has a more squared toe. Not only that, but the TS3 uses the adjustable Magnetic SureFit CG to further optimize shot shape for players seeking preferred trajectories—and that’s on top of the already proven SureFit adjustable hosel.
From address, you can see that along with the square shape there is a touch of offset from the hosel to the face to give it a look preferred by players looking for a true iron replacement. This also moves the shaft axis closer to the COG of the head, another way to increase workability without sacrificing MOI. There was even extensive player testing to determine what the grooves should look like and their length on the face, proving that no detail too small for Titleist designers. It all makes sense though when you are designing the number one hybrid on tour.
Specs & availability
Lofts for the TS 2 are: 17° (RH Only), 19°, 21°, 23°, 25°, 27°
Lofts for the TS3 are: 19°, 21°, 23°, 25°.
Just like the TS Series metal wood, the Titleist TS hybrids come with a huge variety of stock options to fit almost any players need, in addition to their industry-leading custom shaft options
- KURO KAGE Dual Core Black 60 (High launch and moderate spin)
- TENSEI AV Series Blue 70 (Mid launch and spin)
- HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 (Low/mid launch and spin)
- Even Flow T1100 White 90 (Low launch and spin)
The price for both the TS2 and TS3 hybrids is $279 and they will be available in golf shops around the world starting Aug 30th.
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Morning 9: Tiger’s Monday practice round | Brooks, Sergio switch putters | Masters eclipse glasses
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Golf is a unique sport in that you can play where the pros play and make golf history of your own. Nothing in golf can compare to playing a world-renowned course and following in the footsteps of the game’s best golfers. The feeling is incomparable, and it’s one we think more golfers should experience!
To get you started, here are our picks of the best PGA TOUR courses you can (and should!) play:
PGA Tour courses you can (and should) play
- Pebble Beach
- TPC Sawgrass – Stadium Course
- Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill
- Torrey Pines – South
- Harbour Town
- PGA National – Champion
- Innisbrook Resort – Copperhead
Pebble Beach Golf Links (AT&T Pro-Am, U.S. Open, PGA Championship)
Early morning light on the par-4 8th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links on the Monterey Peninsula.
One of the most recognizable golf courses in the world, Pebble Beach Golf Links is the definition of a bucket golf course. Golfers will play iconic holes like the par-3 7th to the stunning par-5 18th. Enjoy great views of the Pacific Ocean as you play amongst the clifftop fairways and make memories that will last a lifetime when you play this PGA TOUR and major championship course.
TPC Sawgrass – Stadium Course (THE PLAYERS Championship)
The 17th hole of THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Photo by: Chris Condon/PGA TOUR (Photo by Chris Condon/PGA)
Home to arguably the most famous par 3 in golf, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is a top bucket-list course designed by Pete and Alice Dye. A challenging layout awaits that will test all facets of your game, especially shot shaping and course management. Subtle elevation changes, undulating greens, and unique bunkering add a degree of difficulty that stump even the best players in the world. Not to mention one of the best finishing stretches in golf with the long par-5 16th, the iconic 17th hole island green, and the testy par-4 18th.
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill (Arnold Palmer Invitational)
A course fit for “The King” is what you will experience when you visit Orlando and play Bay Hill’s Championship Course. This classic Florida layout offers generous landing areas off the tee with few trees, but bunkers guard the greens and large ponds will make you rethink your shot choices. The course is only available for members and guests staying at The Lodge, so a stay is required to play this stunning course. But with year-round sunshine and pristine course conditions, it is never a bad time to visit Bay Hill!
Torrey Pines – South (Farmers Insurance Open, U.S. Open)
Another California clifftop course that should be on your bucket list is the South Course at Torrey Pines. Located just north of San Diego, this annual PGA TOUR stop has also hosted two U.S. Opens, which adds to the allure of the property. Narrow fairways and tall rough combined with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and the California coastline make for an unforgettable round of golf. Large bunkers and elevation changes add to the challenge of the course, but the moderately sized greens offer golfers some respite. Who would’ve thought that a municipal course could be so exciting?
Hole 18 Harbour Town
Most recognized by the famous red and white striped lighthouse behind the 18th green, Harbour Town is the brainchild of Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. While the course is relatively short for a PGA TOUR event, the challenging design offsets length for accuracy with the narrow fairways framed by overhanging trees making it a shot makers course. A majority of the course winds through the wooded and sandy terrain before looping back towards the coastline with the final two finishing holes playing along the water.
PGA National – Champion Course (Honda Classic, Ryder Cup, PGA Championship)
With the prominent golf tournaments this course has held, it is hard to leave it off the list. A fantastic Jack Nicklaus design, the Champions Course at PGA National is also home to a famous stretch of golf holes called “The Bear Trap.” The fairways and greens are player-friendly while the bunkers and water hazards are the course’s biggest defense. You will enjoy a 5-star experience and feel like a professional when you visit PGA National’s Champion Course.
Innisbrook Resort – Copperhead Course (Valspar Championship)
At more than 7,200 yards the Copperhead Course is the most recognizable of Innisbrook’s four Tampa, Florida courses and plays host to the PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship.
One of the more under-the-radar courses on Tour, the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort still offers a challenge even to the pros. Designed by Lawrence Packard, the course, while not heavily wooded, requires accuracy with tight fairways, strategically placed bunkers, especially around the greens, and a decent amount of water hazards that come into play. As you head towards the clubhouse, you will encounter “The Snake Pit;” a collection of the most difficult finishing holes on the PGA TOUR.
There you have it, GolfWRXers. Have you played any of these PGA TOUR tracks? What was your experience? Let us know in the comments.
Editor’s note: This article is presented in partnership with Golfbreaks. When you make a purchase through links in this article, GolfWRX may earn an affiliate commission.
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A week of southern USA golf with a gambler’s flair, concluded on Sunday. The Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the national Drive, Chip, and Putt finals were celebrated in Augusta, Georgia. The LPGA offered its version of the OK Corral with the annual match-play event in Las Vegas. The Korn Ferry Tour gathered in Savannah, Georgia, for the Club Car Championship. Finally, the PGA Tour offered a final opportunity to qualify for this week’s Masters tournament, at the Texas Open.
In order to run something down, you have to be faster. Luckily for me, I took typing in school. Let’s run down a bunch of events this week, beginning in Augusta.
Augusta National Women’s Amateur: Woad wins
The ANWA begins play each year with 36 holes at Champions Retreat golf club, north of Augusta and adjacent to the Savannah river. A cut is made, and the finalists move to the storied Augusta National golf club two days later, for the third round. On Friday, every golfer in the field has the opportunity to play a practice round at ANGC, cut made or not. It’s a nice touch that sweetens the week for golfers like Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, who has missed the cut by one shot, each of the last two years.
Sweden’s Ingrid Lindblad is currently the most successful contestant in ANWA history. The LSU all-america golfer has thrice finished inside the top three at Augusta National. This year, she posted minus-four to claim solo third position. Ahead of her was Bailey Shoemaker, a former New Yorker who now lives in Florida, and is bound for the University of Southern California. Shoemaker posted six birdies against zero bogies on day three, for a dream score of 66. She moved from one-under par to the top of the leader board, at seven deep.
As the golfers with leads began to lose their way, Shoemaker’s position looked better by the minute. Even the overnight leader, Lottie Woad of England and Florida State University, began to stumble. Her bogey at the par-five 13th dropped her two shots behind Shoemaker. It was then that magic returned to the National. Woad secured a birdie with a 15-feet putt at the long 15th, to move within one of the leader. After a par at the 16th, Woad faced the uphill climb of the final two holes.
At 17, Woad ripped a long drive up fairway center, then finessed a wedge to 15 feet, and holed the putt for a three. At the home hole, she was long with her approach, and faced a downhill putt from … you guessed it, just about 15 feet for the victory. As the putt turned left, into the center of the hole, the magnitude of what Woad had done began to sink in. Three-under par over the closing four holes takes a special something, and all Bailey Shoemaker could do, was smile and acknowledge Woad’s work.
The winning moment for Lottie Woad.#ANWAGolf pic.twitter.com/bedGPJ4wRQ
— Augusta National Women’s Amateur (@anwagolf) April 6, 2024
PGA Tour @ Texas Open: AB takes down DMC for second Tour title
It’s a good thing that Akshay Bhatia was paired with Denny McCarthy on day four, else he might not have believed what transpired. There was AB, with a four-shot advantage after 54 holes, targeting a second triumph and a Masters invitation. There was McCarthy, attempting to break through for his own, maiden Tour title. After nine holes on Sunday, the lead had swelled to six shots. At that point, the Silver Streak rolled into town.
Bhatia played a decent back nine, overcoming a bogey at ten with three other birdies. And he got annihilated by McCarthy. The 2015 Porter Cup champion made but one par on the inward half, at the 11th. He wrote “birdie” on the other eight holes, closed in 28 (eight under for the nine) and tied Bhatia at 20-under par. Rory McIlroy probably felt good about his 66, which moved him to third position, but he could only claim the “A” Flight on this day. He was nine shots back of the playoff.
As for the playoff, it was an anticlimax. Moments after making birdie at the par-five closer, McCarthy could not repeat his sucess. Despite a celebratory shoulder injury, Bhatia did make four, and the tournament and Masters invitation were his.
An update on Akshay Bhatia’s shoulder injury. https://t.co/iYKkZXlTKc pic.twitter.com/U08UYGHmiX
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 7, 2024
LPGA @ T-Mobile Match Play: No JK; NK has four straight
If it looks like stroke play, and smells like stroke play, it just might be match play. The LPGA took a page from the Western Amateur script this year. Three rounds of stroke play took place from Wednesday to Friday, as the field was trimmed to 65, and then to 8. The great eight then went head to head to decide who moved on and who went home. Four golfers tied for the eighth position, and three holes later, Moriya Jutanugarn had defeated Yuka Saso, Brooke Henderson, and Hae Ran Ryu for the right to move into match play.
Leona Maguire had been the queen of Shadow Creek, site of the event, and she preserved that royal title with a 4 & 3 win over Jutanugarn in round one of knockout play. Joining her in the semifinals were Sei Young Kim (6 & 5 over Rose Zhang), Narin An (1 up over Minami Katsu) and Nelly Korda (3 & 2 over Angel Yin.) The penultimate round saw Maguire (3 &2) and Korda (4 & 3) emerge triumphant, creating a dream conclusion pitting two of the top young talents.
Proponents of match play point to the elimination of all other competitors save the one. Medal-play aficionados reply by saying shoot a number and let the chips and putts fall where they may. On this day, Leona Maguire posted plus-two through the fifteen holes of the match, while Nelly Korda played the sequence in three below par, It doesn’t matter which style of competition you prefer. A five-shot difference tells you all that you need to know, about who played better that day.
On the occasion of her fourth consecutive victory on the LPGA circuit, Nelly Korda is the best player of this day, this week, this month. What a run.
Nelly is NOT messing around on 15 ???? pic.twitter.com/CZILDIECjJ
— LPGA (@LPGA) April 8, 2024
Korn Ferry Tour @ Club Car Championship: Fisk takes risk and wins in Savannah
Philip Knowles and Kevin Roy each had thoughts on a first-time win on the KFT this week, but their hopes and dreams were postponed. Knowles dropped back from 1st to 3rd with a final-round 71. He tied John Pak and Max McGreevey at 12-deep, two shots behind the first-place tie. Roy posted 72 and finished one shot farther back, in a tie for sixth at minus-eleven. The spotlit stage for overtime was occupied by Rob Oppenheim and Steven Fisk. Fisk closed with 68, moving up two shots in the process. Oppenheim went one better, finishing off a day-four 67 with a jittery 36 on the inward half.
Oppenheim turned in 31 shots on Sunday, and looked for all the world to be on his way to a convincing victory. Nerves and jitters got in the way, and he matched bogeys and birdies on the way home for minus-14. In the playoff, Steven Fisk was able to negotiate par from the final hole at The Landings, and it was enough to earn the title. Oppenheim’s bogey-six relegated him to a coveted, but frustrating, second-place finish. And for those not in the know, it was Fisk who earned the breakthrough, initial victory on the KFT.
It doesn’t get more clutch than this ?
Georgia local Steven Fisk chips it within inches to make a tap-in birdie on his last and join Rob Oppenheim at the top of the leaderboard. pic.twitter.com/gGF1ZD5f54
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) April 7, 2024
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Ross
Jul 31, 2019 at 2:23 am
TS2 Looks great and can’t wait to test it against my 818 H1 that I put in the bag a few months ago. First time ever having a hybrid in my bag and it quickly became one of my favorite clubs. So versatile. Should have gotten onboard with the hybrid long ago. Fills so many gaps. Thought the H2 looked a lot better than the shape of the TS3 so it’ll be interesting to see how that’s received and how people get along with it. Props to Titleist for stepping up their game across the board with their clubs this past year.